CN111682656B

CN111682656B - Radiation wireless charging system

Info

Publication number: CN111682656B
Application number: CN202010585225.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 汪立华; 玛炎·塔巴什; 朱江
Original assignee: Google LLC
Current assignee: Google LLC
Priority date: 2019-07-11
Filing date: 2020-06-24
Publication date: 2023-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 2040-06-24
Also published as: US11764615B2; EP3764510A1; US20210013747A1; CN111682656A

Abstract

The technology in this disclosure relates to a radiating wireless charging system. A wireless charger may have an emitter antenna array, one or more detectors, one or more sensors, and one or more processors. For example, the processor may determine that one or more receiver antennas are located within the near field range of the transmitter antenna array based on signals from the detector. The processor may then control the transmitter antenna array to focus the electromagnetic wave on a first receiver antenna of the one or more receiver antennas and control the transmitter antenna array to transmit power to the first receiver antenna. In some cases, the processor may further determine that the person is within a near field range of the transmitter antenna array based on the signal from the sensor. Based on this determination, the processor may control the transmitter antenna array to cease transmitting power to the first receiver antenna.

Description

Radiation wireless charging system

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a radiating wireless charging system.

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims the benefit of the date of filing of U.S. provisional patent application No.62/872,854 filed on 7.11 a 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Background

Charging of electronic devices is typically accomplished by plugging the device into an electrical outlet via a charging accessory such as a charging cable or a holder with contacts. As such, it may be desirable to keep the electronic device in close proximity to the receptacle, and the number of charging accessories required may increase as the number of electronic devices that need to be charged simultaneously increases.

The wireless charger may provide power to the wireless charging device without a conductive connection between the wireless charger and the wireless charging device, such as a contact or wire. For example, the inductive charger may be provided with a transmitter coil for inductively transmitting energy, and the wireless charging device may be provided with a receiver coil for inductively receiving the transmitted energy. However, the charging efficiency may drop rapidly in the event of misalignment between the transmitter coil and the receiver coil, but it may not be easy to align the two coils. Furthermore, the number of transmitter coils required in an inductive charger may be proportional to the number of electronic devices that need to be charged simultaneously. As another example, the wireless charger may be provided with a transmitter antenna for transmitting a beam of electromagnetic energy, and the wireless charging device may be provided with an antenna for receiving the transmitted energy. However, complex beamforming may be required to achieve satisfactory charging efficiency and meet FCC safety requirements.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure provides a wireless charger, the wireless charger comprising: a transmitter antenna array comprising a plurality of radiating elements; one or more detectors configured to collect signals from the receiver antennas; one or more sensors configured to generate a signal indicative of the presence of a person; and one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to determine, based on signals from the one or more detectors, that one or more of the receiver antennas are within a near field range of the transmitter antenna array; controlling the plurality of radiating elements to focus electromagnetic waves on a first receiver antenna of the one or more receiver antennas; controlling the transmitter antenna array to transmit power to the first receiver antenna; determining that a person is within a near field range of the transmitter antenna array based on signals from the one or more sensors; and controlling the transmitter antenna array to cease transmitting power to the first receiver antenna.

The one or more processors may be further configured to determine whether the person is in a direction of power transmission based on the signals from the one or more detectors and the signals from the one or more sensors, wherein controlling the transmitter antenna array to cease transmitting power to the first receiver antenna is further based on determining that the detected person is in the direction of power transmission. The one or more processors may be further configured to determine that the person is not located in a direction of a second receiver antenna of the one or more receiver antennas based on the signals from the one or more detectors and the signals from the one or more sensors; controlling the plurality of radiating elements to focus the electromagnetic wave on the second receiver antenna; and controlling the transmitter antenna array to transmit power to the second receiver antenna.

The one or more sensors may include at least one of: optical sensors, cameras, motion sensors, radar or RF sensors.

The operating frequency of the transmitter antenna array may be outside of the frequency range used for wireless communications. The operating frequency of the transmitter antenna array may be 24GHz.

The size of the transmitter antenna array may be in the range of 10cm-20 cm. The spacing between the plurality of radiating elements may be in the range of 0.5cm-1 cm.

The plurality of radiating elements may be disposed on a two-dimensional surface. A plurality of radiating elements may be disposed on one or more surfaces of the three-dimensional structure.

The boundary of the near field range may be between 0.5-2 meters.

The wireless charger may further include one or more phase shifters configured to change a phase of the electromagnetic wave from the plurality of radiating elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the one or more phase shifters to focus the electromagnetic wave on the first receiver antenna.

The wireless charger may further include one or more amplifiers configured to vary the amplitude of the electromagnetic waves from the plurality of radiating elements, wherein the one or more processors are configured to control the one or more amplifiers to focus the electromagnetic waves on the first receiver antenna.

The one or more detectors may be further configured to receive a measurement of the power received by the first receiver antenna over the bluetooth link, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the plurality of radiating elements to focus electromagnetic waves at the first receiver antenna based on the received measurement of power.

The one or more processors may be further configured to determine, based on signals from the one or more detectors, that the one or more receiver antennas include a plurality of receiver antennas; time division is determined to focus the electromagnetic wave and transmit power to each of the plurality of receiver antennas.

The present disclosure also provides an antenna system, comprising: a transmitter antenna array comprising a plurality of radiating elements, the transmitter antenna array having an operating frequency that is higher than a frequency range for wireless communication; and one or more receiver antenna arrays, each comprising a plurality of radiating elements, the one or more receiver antenna arrays being located within a near field range of the transmitter antenna array.

The antenna system may further include one or more rectifiers configured to convert RF received by the one or more receiver antenna arrays into electrical energy; and one or more energy storage units configured to store electrical energy.

The antenna system may further include one or more feedback devices configured to: generating a measurement of power received by one or more receiver antenna arrays; the measurements are sent over a bluetooth link to one or more processors associated with the transmitter antenna array.

The boundaries of the near field range of the transmitter antenna array may be at 0.5-2 meters.

The present invention still further provides an antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna radiating elements; wherein the operating frequency of the antenna array is higher than the frequency range of wireless communication; and wherein the near field range of the transmitter antenna array is between 0.5-2 meters.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an example wireless charger according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example transmitter antenna array according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example patch antenna in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example near field focused antenna array in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating example power emissions of an antenna array for near field focusing in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6A-6C are graphs illustrating example performance of various near field focused antenna arrays in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of an example wireless charging device according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 illustrates an example wireless charging system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 illustrates an example scenario of wireless charging according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10A and 10B illustrate example scenarios of wireless charging when a person is detected, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11A and 11B illustrate example scenarios of wireless charging using a time-division scheme in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12 is a flow chart according to an aspect of the disclosure.

Detailed Description

SUMMARY

This technology generally involves wireless charging. In this regard, the wireless charger may be provided with an emitter antenna array, one or more detectors, one or more sensors, and one or more processors. The transmitter antenna array may include a plurality of radiating elements configured to transmit power via electromagnetic waves. The detector may be configured to collect signals from devices located in the vicinity of the wireless charger that may be charged wirelessly. The sensor may be configured to collect a signal indicative of the presence of a person located in the vicinity of the wireless charger. The processor may be configured to detect devices and people in the vicinity of the wireless charger based on signals from the detector and the sensor. Based on the detection, the processor may be configured to control the transmitter antenna array to focus electromagnetic waves in one or more beams to charge the detected device and to avoid transmitting electromagnetic waves to the detected person.

The wireless charger may be configured to focus electromagnetic waves in a near field region of the transmitter antenna array. In this regard, the one or more phase shifters and/or the one or more amplifiers may control the plurality of radiating elements such that electromagnetic waves emitted by the plurality of radiating elements constructively interfere to focus on a detected device located within a near field region of the transmitter antenna array.

The parameters of the wireless charger may be selected based on practical considerations. For example, the size of the wireless charger may be selected such that the wireless charger may be conveniently located in a room of a residence or office, such as on or within furniture. As another example, the size and operating frequency of the wireless charger may be selected such that the near field region is large enough to include multiple devices in the room, but not so large as to include devices that are not intended to be charged. In some cases, the transmitter antenna array may be configured to have an operating frequency outside of a frequency range for wireless communications. For example, the operating frequency may be significantly higher than the frequency range of wireless communications, such as 24GHz.

The wireless charger may be configured to avoid transmitting radiation to nearby people. For example, if a person is detected, the processor may control the wireless charger to stop charging. Alternatively, the wireless charger may stop charging only if the detected person is located in the near field region of the transmitter antenna array and/or if the detected person is located in the direction of power transmission. In such a case, the wireless charger may instead focus electromagnetic waves to charge another detected device, such as a device that is not in the direction of the detected person.

The wireless charger may be configured to charge a plurality of devices using a time-division scheme. In one example time division scheme, the wireless charger may charge a first detected device until fully charged, then charge a second detected device, and so on. In another example time division scheme, the wireless charger may charge each of the plurality of devices for a fixed period of time, such as a few minutes, and take turns between the plurality of devices until all of the devices are fully charged. Alternatively or additionally, the wireless charger may be configured to generate multiple beams of electromagnetic waves to charge multiple devices simultaneously.

This technique is advantageous because it provides efficient wireless charging. The techniques described herein allow for high levels of power to be transferred in the near field region and at the same time allow for rapid decay of power to low levels in the far field region. This enables efficient power transfer to devices in the near field region and reduces interference with devices in the far field region. By automatically focusing the electromagnetic waves on the detected device, the user does not need to manually insert the device to be charged or align the coil in the device with the coil in the charger. By adjusting the operating frequency and other parameters of the wireless charger, the wireless charger can be designed to be conveniently fitted in a everyday environment, such as on or inside furniture, and in actual circumstances to charge the device within a common distance, such as within one or several meters in a room of a home or office. By using operating frequencies outside the wireless communication range, the wireless charger may be able to increase the power transfer level without causing interference to other devices. Aspects of the technology also provide a detection mechanism to avoid the emission of radiation to people in the vicinity of the wireless charger. The technique also provides time division for charging multiple devices without the need for additional accessories such as wires, coils, and the like.

Example System

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of an example wireless charger 100. As shown, the wireless charger 100 includes a transmitter antenna array 110, a power supply 120, one or more phase shifters 130, one or more amplifiers 140, one or more processors 150, one or more receiver detectors 160, and one or more detectors 170, each of which is described in detail below. For example, the power supply 120 may generate electromagnetic waves, such as Radio Frequency (RF) waves, for transmission by the transmitter antenna array 110. The emitted electromagnetic waves may be used to provide power to devices in the vicinity of the wireless charger 100. In this regard, the operating frequency may be selected to increase power transfer efficiency. For example, as described below, the electromagnetic waves generated by the power supply 120 may have any operating frequency, including frequencies that are not within the range allocated for wireless communication. In addition to selecting the operating frequency to increase power transfer efficiency, the operating frequency may be selected outside of the range allocated for wireless communication such that waves emitted by the wireless charger 100 do not interfere with wireless communication of other devices.

Fig. 2A and 2B illustrate an example transmitter antenna array, such as transmitter antenna array 110 in wireless charger 100 of fig. 1. Fig. 2A is a top view of the transmitter antenna array 110, and fig. 2B is a side view of a cross section of the transmitter antenna array 110.

Referring to fig. 2A, the transmitter antenna array 110 is shown with a two-dimensional planar top surface upon which a plurality of radiating elements 210, such as 210A, 210B, etc., are disposed. Although the planar top surface of the transmitter antenna array 110 is shown as a square of length L, the transmitter antenna array 110 may be another shape. For example, the transmitter antenna array 110 may have a planar top surface that is circular, elliptical, rectangular, polygonal, etc. Further, the transmitter antenna array 110 may have a three-dimensional structure, such as a cube, sphere, prism, etc., and a plurality of radiating elements may be disposed on one or more surfaces of the three-dimensional structure.

In some examples, the size of the transmitter antenna array 110 may be less than 50cm, or in the range of 10cm-20 cm. In this way, the wireless charger 100 including the transmitter antenna array 110 may be conveniently located in a typical room in a residence or office. For example, the wireless charger 100 including the transmitter antenna array 110 may be positioned in a drawer of a desk or on top of a bedside table. As another example, the wireless charger 100 may be integrated into a smart home product. Although various example dimensions of the transmitter antenna array 110 and its various components are described herein, the dimensions of the transmitter antenna array 110 and its various components may be selected based on the operating frequency of the transmitter antenna array 110, and the dimensions of the transmitter antenna array 110 and its various components may vary widely depending on the operating frequency. Alternatively, the operating frequency of the transmitter antenna array 110 may be selected based on the desired dimensions for the transmitter antenna array 110 and its various components, such as for optimal power emissions within a desired distance, ease of manufacture, health and safety regulations, and so forth.

The radiating elements 210 of the transmitter antenna array 110 are configured to support currents or fields that directly contribute to the radiation pattern of the transmitter antenna array 110. In this regard, the radiating element 210 may be made of any of a variety of conductive materials, such as metals and alloys. The radiating elements 210 may each have a square shape as shown, or alternatively have any other shape, such as rectangular, elliptical, square, polygonal, etc. Radiating elements 210 are shown as having a spacing of distance "d" from each other. In the above example where the size of the transmitter antenna array 110 is in the range of 10cm-20cm, the spacing d may be in the range of 5mm-10 mm. Although fig. 2A shows 16x 16 radiating elements 210 arranged at equal spacing d on the transmitter antenna array 110, any other number of radiating elements may be provided in any type of arrangement. For example, irregular spacing between radiating elements may be used. As another example, the spacing may be relatively large compared to the size of the radiating elements such that the radiating elements are sparsely arranged in the transmitter antenna array.

Referring to fig. 2B, the transmitter antenna array 110 may include other features typically found in antennas or antenna arrays. For example, the transmitter antenna array 110 may include a ground plane 220 for the radiating element 210. The ground plane 220 may be made of any of a variety of conductive materials such as metals and alloys. The ground plane is a conductive surface that serves as a reflecting surface for radio waves received and/or transmitted by the radiating elements of the antenna. As shown, the ground plane 220 may be disposed in a layer below the top surface of the transmitter antenna array 110. Although the ground plane 220 is shown to have a shape and size similar to the top surface of the transmitter antenna array 110, in other examples, the ground plane 220 may have other shapes and sizes.

The transmitter antenna array 110 may further include one or more feeds 230. The feed 230 may be connected to a transceiver and/or a radio power supply. For example, the feed 230 may be configured to feed radio waves from a radio power source (such as the power source 120 configured to generate electromagnetic waves) to the rest of the transmitter antenna array 110 including the radiating element 210 via a transceiver. In some examples, the transmitter antenna array 110 may be capacitively fed by a feed structure (not shown) positioned proximate to the feed 230. In the case where there are a plurality of feeds 230, the feeds 230 may be provided as a feed network. In the example shown with 16x 16 radiating elements 210, the feeds 230 may be arranged in a corresponding 16x 16 feed array in a layer below the top surface. Alternatively, the feed 230 may be provided in other shapes, sizes, and/or arrangements in layers.

The transmitter antenna array 110 may be considered to include a plurality of patch antennas. For example, each individual radiating element of the radiating elements 210, the corresponding feed in the feed network 230, and the ground plane 220 may together form a single patch antenna. A patch antenna is an antenna whose radiating element has a small thickness (or plane) and can be mounted on a flat surface. For example, as shown, the radiating element 210 may have a relatively small thickness h1, which may be 0.01-0.2mm. The ground plane 220 may be disposed in a layer having a relatively small thickness h2, and the thickness h2 may be 0.01 to 0.2mm. The feed 230 may be provided in a layer having a relatively small thickness h3, which thickness h3 may be 0.01-0.2mm. While these example thicknesses may be typical for antennas implemented on Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), in other examples, these layers may have other thicknesses.

As further shown in fig. 2B, one or more separation layers, e.g., separation layers 240 and 250, may provide insulation between radiating element 210, ground plane 220, and feed 230. The separation layers 240, 250 may each be made of a dielectric material such as plastic, polymer, glass, ceramic. The separation layers 240, 250 may also provide mechanical support for the radiating element 210, the ground plane 220, and the feed 230. Thus, the separation layer may have relatively large thicknesses h4 and h5, which may be, for example, 1mm-3mm. Although only two separation layers 240, 250 are shown, the transmitter antenna array 110 may include additional layers, such as additional layers may be provided on top of the radiating element 210 or below the feed 230 to protect the radiating element 210 and/or the feed 230.

Fig. 3 shows an example patch antenna 300 including the radiating element 210A of fig. 2A. For example, radiating element 210A is shown having a width w and a length l. In the above example of a 16x 16 array of 10cm-20cm, the dimensions of the radiating elements (such as w and l) may be in the range of 0.1mm-10 mm. As mentioned above, the dimensions may vary depending on many factors, such as the operating frequency, the characteristics of the layers 240, 250, and the like. The patch antenna 300 may be circularly polarized, which means that the patch antenna is configured to emit electromagnetic waves, the electric field of which rotates in a plane perpendicular to the emission direction. Circular polarization allows electromagnetic waves emitted by patch antenna 300 (and transmitter antenna array 110) to be received by a receiver antenna regardless of the orientation of the receiver antenna.

Patch antenna 300 may be aperture fed. For example, as shown, an aperture such as a cross slot 310 may be provided in the ground layer 220 to create an opening in the ground layer 220 that does not include conductive material. The cross-slot 310 may have any size "w_s" and "l_s" that may be selected for the desired radiation characteristics. Cross slot 310 may be configured to generate circular polarization, alternatively, other types of apertures or other components may be configured to generate circular polarization. Electromagnetic waves from a feed, such as feed 230A among feeds 230, may be emitted to radiating element 210A through cross slot 310. The feed 230A may have a length "l f" through the center of the cross slot 310 that may be selected for the desired radiation characteristics. Because the feed 230A and radiating element 210A are decoupled by the ground plane 220, and therefore, the characteristics of the separation layer 240 can be selected to optimize the radiating element 210A, while the characteristics of the separation layer 250 can be selected to optimize the feed 230A. Furthermore, if other components (such as the power supply 120, the phase shifter 130, the amplifier 140, etc.) are incorporated into the same layer as the feed 230 or into another layer, these other components will not affect the radiating element 210A. Patch antenna 300 may be a monopole antenna, dipole antenna, slot antenna, hybrid antenna, loop antenna, inverted F antenna, or the like.

Returning to fig. 1, to adjust aspects of power transmission through the transmitter antenna array 110, the wireless charger 100 may also include one or more phase shifters 130 and one or more amplifiers 140. The phase shifter 130 and/or the amplifier 140 may be configured to adjust the transmitter antenna array 110 such that the electromagnetic waves from the radiating element 210 form one or more beams for power transmission. For example, to adjust the direction of power transmission, the phase shifter 130 may change the phase of electromagnetic waves transmitted by the transmitter antenna array 110. Examples of phase shifters may include delay lines, varactors, and filters. In addition, to adjust the amount of power transmitted, the amplifier 140 may change the amplitude of the electromagnetic waves transmitted by the transmitter antenna array 110. The phase shifter 130 and the amplifier 140 may be configured to perform beamforming for the transmitter antenna array 110. The phase shifter 130 and the amplifier 140 may adjust the power transmission in any order of operation.

In this regard, fig. 4 illustrates beamforming in the near field range of an antenna array, such as the transmitter antenna array 110. When an antenna (or antenna array) emits (or receives) electromagnetic waves, the region containing the electromagnetic wave field may be divided into a near-field region near the antenna and a far-field region at a greater distance from the antenna. The boundary between the near field region and the far field region of the antenna, referred to as the fraunhofer distance (df), may depend on the size of the radiating elements of the antenna and the operating frequency of the antenna. For example, for a given antenna size, the greater the operating frequency (or lower the wavelength), the farther the boundary is from the antenna. Furthermore, the natural focus of the antenna is located in the near field region near this boundary. The focal point is where the power density of the received and/or transmitted antenna radiation is maximized.

The characteristics of the electromagnetic field in the near field region are different from those of the far field region. For example, in the far field, according to the Friis equation, the field strength decreases inversely with distance from the antenna. Conversely, the field strength in the near field region changes faster with distance from the antenna. For example, in the non-radiative near field region or reactive region (reactive region), the field strength may fluctuate rapidly due to complex interactions between the electric and magnetic fields. Conversely, in the radiating near field region or fresnel region, the field strength may be more predictable because the distance is large enough that there is no longer a reactive component of the electromagnetic wave. Thus, in the radiation near field region, electromagnetic waves from the transmitting antenna radiate outward.

Referring to the example shown in fig. 4, the transmitter antenna array 110 may have a focal point 410. May be based on the relationship df=2l ² The fraunhofer distance "df" of the transmitter antenna array 110 is determined by λ, where L is the maximum size of the antenna or antenna array and λ is the wavelength corresponding to the operating frequency. As shown, the focal distance Rf is within the fraunhofer distance df. The focal length Rf is determined based on the phase relationship between the signals from the feed 230 feeding the radiating element 210. By adjusting the signal of the feed 230, the focal distance Rf can be adjusted to a desired distance, such as a typical distance between a desk in a room and a possible device in the room. By focusing or beamforming in the radiation near field region, particularly in the region where the power density near the focal point 410 is maximized, the transmitter antenna array 110 may achieve higher power transfer efficiency than, for example, beamforming in the far field region or non-radiation near field region.

The phase and/or amplitude of the electromagnetic waves from the transmitter antenna array 110 may be adjusted for focusing or beamforming in the radiation near field region. For example, the phase shifter 130 may change the phase of the electromagnetic wave 420 emitted from each radiating element 210 in the transmitter antenna array 110 such that the wavefront 430 from each radiating element 210 forms an equiphase surface, such as surfaces 440, 442, 444. As shown, these isophase surfaces may be concentric with focal point 410. Further, because the electromagnetic beam may include a main lobe centered at the focal point and a side lobe surrounding the main lobe, the amplifier 140 may vary the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave 420 emitted from each radiating element 210 to reduce the level of the side lobe in the resulting radiation pattern.

Further as shown, because each radiating element 210 is located at a different position relative to the focal point 410 (and surfaces 440, 442, 444), near field focusing may require a different phase for each radiating element 210 depending on the distance and relative direction between the particular radiating element and the focal point 410. In this regard, one exemplary beamforming method is referred to as a conjugate phase method, in which the phase is adjusted to compensate for the phase delay introduced by the path between the radiating element and the focal point, resulting in constructive interference. Other example methods include optimization-based methods, which may include varying any of a number of antenna parameters (e.g., dimensions, materials) and configurations (e.g., unequal spacing between radiating elements) in order to generate a focused beam.

Fig. 5 is a graph showing an example comparison between power densities for an antenna focused for the near field and an antenna unfocused. For example, curve 510 may represent the normalized power density of transmitter antenna array 110 when focused in the near field region as shown in fig. 4, while curve 520 may represent the normalized power density of transmitter antenna array 110 when unfocused. The horizontal axis shows the normalized distance γ from the transmitter antenna array 110, where based on the actual distance r from the transmitter antenna array 110 divided by the fraunhofer distance df=2l ² And/lambda to determine the normalized distance. The vertical axis shows normalized power density, where power density is normalized by the peak of the near-field focused beam. Here, curve 510 shows the normalized power density when Rf is selected to be 0.1 df. As shown, in the near field region (γ < 1), particularly in the region near the focal length Rf, the near field focused transmitter antenna array 110 may achieve a higher power density than the unfocused transmitter antenna array 110.

As further shown, in the far field region (γ > 1), the power density of the near field focused transmitter antenna array 110 (curve 510) decays much faster than the unfocused transmitter antenna array 110 (curve 520). Faster decay may be beneficial for a number of reasons. For example, because the radiation power level beyond the near field decays rapidly with distance, the radiation does not easily interfere with other devices.

Fig. 6A, 6B, and 6C are graphs illustrating example effects of various parameters on performance of the transmitter antenna array 110. In particular, each of FIGS. 6A-6C illustrates how the operating frequency changes the characteristics of the transmitter antenna array 110, as well as other effects described below.

Referring to fig. 6A, a graph 610 shows the fraunhofer distance df of the transmitter antenna array 110 as a function of operating frequency. As shown, the fraunhofer distance increases with operating frequency. For example, as shown, at about 24GHz, the French Hough distance is about 1.6m. Such a distance may be optimal for many situations, such as for charging various devices in one portion of a room without interfering with devices in another portion of the room. Furthermore, because most wireless communications have a frequency band between 0.5GHz-3GHz (including Wi-Fi at 2.4 GHz), the 24GHz operating frequency will ensure that radiation from the transmitter antenna array 110 does not interfere with communications between other devices. Curve 612 shows the boundary between the radiating near field region and the non-radiating near field region of the transmitter antenna array 110 as a function of operating frequency. As described above, the transmitter antenna array 110 may be focused in the radiating near field region before the fraunhofer distance df. For example, as shown, the transmitter antenna array 110 may be focused between approximately 12cm and 1.6m at an operating frequency of 24 GHz.

Referring to fig. 6B, curves 620, 622, and 624 illustrate focal lengths of the transmitter antenna array 110 at various operating frequencies. The focal radius defines the size of the focal point of the electromagnetic beam generated by the transmit antenna array 110. For example, like any beam such as a light beam, the transmitter antenna array 110 may be able to focus the electromagnetic beam relatively well to a small distance (small focal point with a small focal radius) due to diffraction effects, but as the distance increases, the transmitter antenna array 110 may also be unable to focus the electromagnetic beam (larger focal point with a larger focal radius). For example, curve 620 shows that for distances in the range of 0 to 100cm, the transmitter antenna array 110 is capable of achieving a focal radius between 1cm-15cm at an operating frequency of 24 GHz. Curve 622 shows that for distances in the range of 0-20cm, the transmitter antenna array 110 is capable of achieving a focal radius between 4cm and 15cm at an operating frequency of 5.8 GHz. Curve 624 shows that for distances in the range of 0-7cm, the transmitter antenna array 110 is capable of achieving a focal radius between 8cm and 15cm at an operating frequency of 2.4 GHz. Accordingly, as the operating frequency of the transmitter antenna array 110 increases, the ability of the transmitter antenna array 110 to focus electromagnetic beams may be improved.

Referring to fig. 6C, curves 640, 642, 644, 646 illustrate theoretical ideal power transfer efficiency of the transmitter antenna array 110 as a function of distance at different operating frequencies. Fig. 6C illustrates the diffraction effect for a system having a particular size of transmitter antenna array and receiver antenna array, particularly if the transmitter antenna array 110 is 10cm x 10cm and the receiver is 3cm x 3 cm. In practical systems, other effects may also affect power transfer efficiency, such as RF generation efficiency, antenna efficiency, matching efficiency, and the like. For example, curve 640 shows that at an operating frequency of 24GHz, the power transfer efficiency may desirably approach 0dB within 10cm from the transmitter antenna array 110 and taper to approximately-15 dB at 100cm from the transmitter antenna array 110. In contrast, curve 644 shows that at the operating frequency of 2.4GHz, the power transfer efficiency can only reach approximately-15 dB at a distance of 10cm from transmitter antenna array 110 at maximum, and gradually decrease to approximately-35 dB at a distance of 100cm from transmitter antenna array 110. Thus, by increasing the operating frequency from 2.4GHz (approximately the frequency range of WiFi and bluetooth signals) to 24GHz (outside the wireless communication range), a more than ten-fold increase in the power transfer efficiency of the transmitter antenna array 110 may be achieved.

Returning again to fig. 1, to determine the appropriate adjustment of the power emission, the wireless charger 100 may include one or more processors 150. For example, the processor 150 may control the phase shifter 130 and/or the amplifier 140 to change the direction and/or amplitude of electromagnetic waves from the plurality of radiating elements 210. In this regard, the processor 150 may control the phase shifter 130 and/or the amplifier based on signals from various detectors and/or sensors.

For example, as shown, the wireless charger 100 may include one or more receiver detectors 160. The receiver detector 160 may be a tracking system that includes an antenna and a sensor configured to collect signals from devices surrounding the wireless charger 100. For example, the receiver detector 160 may collect radiation emitted by antennas of other devices and may be configured to generate signals indicative of the location of such devices relative to the wireless charger 100. As an example, the receiver detector 160 may use a bluetooth connection between the wireless charger 100 and a device that detects the device, and then use the Received Signal Strength (RSS) of the communication link between the detected device and the charger 100 to track the location of the detected device. The signal generated by the receiver detector 160 may also indicate whether the detected device is within the near field region of the transmitter antenna array 110. Further, as shown, the receiver detector 160 may receive feedback data from devices being wirelessly charged, which may provide a measure of the power received by such devices, such as quantity, rate, efficiency, etc., as well as information about the charge level, such as full charge or 50% charge. The receiver detector 160 may then provide signals and/or feedback data to the processor 150 indicative of the detected location of the device. Based on this information, the processor 150 may control the phase shifter 130 and/or the amplifier 140 to direct the emission of electromagnetic waves, for example, according to an example method described below.

As another example, the wireless charger 100 may include one or more person sensors 170. The person sensor 170 may comprise any type of sensor. For example, the person sensor 170 may include a vision sensor, such as a camera or other type of optical sensor, such as an infrared sensor. As such, image analysis and object or pattern recognition techniques may be used in conjunction with the vision sensor to detect people in the vicinity of the wireless charger 100. The person sensor 170 may also include a motion sensor, radar, vibration sensor, audio sensor, thermal sensor, and the like. For example, a person's breathing pattern or movement pattern may be detected based on signals from a motion sensor and/or a vibration sensor. Additional or different sensors may also be employed. For example, person sensor 170 may include a Radio Frequency (RF) sensor configured to detect signals from beacons installed at various locations in the room, such as bluetooth beacons. In this way, a person standing between person sensor 170 and the installed beacon may cause the signal emitted by the installed beacon to change, which may be detected by person sensor 170. The person sensor 170 may then provide a signal to the processor 150 indicative of the presence of a person, based on which the processor 150 may control the phase shifter 130 and/or the amplifier 140 to direct the emission of electromagnetic waves, for example, according to the example methods described below.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless charging device 700. As shown, the wireless charging device 700 may include a receiver antenna array 710 configured to receive wirelessly transmitted power, for example, from the wireless charger 100. Alternatively, the wireless charging device 700 may include a single receiver antenna. Although not shown, the receiver antenna array 710 may be configured to have a configuration similar to that of the transmitter antenna array 110 of the wireless charger 100. For example, the receiver antenna array 710 may also include a plurality of radiating elements arranged in rows and columns as shown in fig. 2A. As with the transmitter antenna array 110, the receiver antenna array 710 may alternatively be any shape, such as circular, elliptical, rectangular, polygonal, and the like. The radiating elements of the receiver antenna array 710 may each have a square shape similar to the radiating element 210, or alternatively any other shape, such as rectangular, elliptical, square, polygonal, etc. However, the size of the receiver antenna array 710 is constrained by the form factor of the wireless charging device 700, which may be relatively large (e.g., notebook computer, tablet computer) or relatively small (e.g., smart phone, smart watch). As one example, the size of the receiver antenna array 710 may be less than 5cm, or in the range of 2cm-5 cm. As one example, the receiver antenna array 710 may be a 4x 4 array, wherein the size of each radiating element may be in the range of 0.1mm-10mm and may have a spacing of 5mm-10mm from each other. As with the transmit antenna array 110, the size of the receiver antenna array 710 may be selected based on the operating frequency and any other practical considerations.

Further, the receiver antenna array 710 may have a similar cross section as the transmitter antenna array 110 shown in fig. 2B. For example, the ground and feed of the receiver antenna array 710 may be disposed similarly to the ground 220 and feed 230. For example, the ground may be provided in a layer below the radiating element, and the feed may be provided as a feed network in a layer below the ground. The layers of the receiver antenna array 710 may have a similar thickness as the transmitter antenna array 110.

The receiver antenna array 710 may also include a plurality of patch antennas configured similarly to the patch antenna 300 shown in fig. 3. The patch antennas of the receiver antenna array 710 may also be circularly polarized and/or aperture fed. The patch antennas of the receiver antenna array 710 may be monopole antennas, dipole antennas, slot antennas, hybrid antennas, loop antennas, inverted-F antennas, and the like.

As further shown in fig. 7, the wireless charging device 700 may also include one or more rectifiers 720 and one or more energy storages 730. For example, energy storage 730 may include one or more batteries, which may store electrical energy in Direct Current (DC). The rectifier 720 may be configured to convert energy in electromagnetic waves received from a wireless charger, such as the wireless charger 100, into electrical energy. For example, rectifier 720 may convert RF energy in radio frequency waves to DC current for storage in energy storage 730. Energy storage 730 may be connected to one or more components 750 to be charged in wireless charging device 700. These components may include one or more processors, user input, output devices, sensors, communication modules, and the like.

In some cases, wireless charging device 700 may further include one or more feedback devices 760. For example, feedback device 760 may be configured to generate feedback data that may include a measure of the power received by wireless charging device 700, such as a quantity, a rate of charge (e.g.,%/hour or watt/hour), a power recovery efficiency, etc., and information regarding a charge level, such as a full charge or 50% charge. The feedback device 760 may be configured to wirelessly transmit feedback data to the wireless charger 100, for example, via a bluetooth link. As described above, the wireless charger 100 may use the feedback data to guide the transmission of electromagnetic waves.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example system 800 in which features described herein may be implemented. They should not be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure or the usefulness of the features described herein. In this example, system 800 may include wireless charger 100, computing devices 820, 830, and 840, and storage system 850. For example, as shown, the wireless charger 100 includes one or more processors 150, memory 814, and other components typically found in general purpose computing devices.

Memory 814 may store information accessible by one or more processors 150, including instructions 816 that may be executed by one or more processors 150. Memory 814 may also include data 818 that may be retrieved, manipulated, or stored by processor 150. Memory 814 may be of any non-transitory type capable of storing information accessible to the processor, such as a hard disk drive, memory card, ROM, RAM, DVD, CD-ROM, writeable, and read-only memory.

Instructions 816 may be any set of instructions, such as machine code, to be executed directly by one or more processors; or any set of instructions indirectly executable by one or more processors, such as scripts. In this regard, the terms "instruction," "application," "step," and "program" may be used interchangeably herein. The instructions may be stored in an object code format for direct processing by a processor or in any other computing device language, including a script or collection of independent source code modules that are interpreted or precompiled as needed. The functions, methods and routines of the instructions will be explained in more detail below.

Data 818 may be retrieved, stored, or modified by one or more processors 150 according to instructions 816. For example, although the subject matter described herein is not limited by any particular data structure, the data may be stored in a relational database in a computer register as a table or XML document having many different fields and records. The data may also be formatted in any computing device readable format, such as, but not limited to, binary values, ASCII, or Unicode. Moreover, the data may include any information sufficient to identify the relevant information, such as numbers, descriptive text, proprietary codes, pointers, references to data stored in other memories, such as in other network locations, or information used by a function to calculate the relevant data.

The one or more processors 150 may be any conventional processor, such as a commercially available CPU. In the alternative, the processor may be a dedicated component, such as an application specific integrated circuit ("ASIC") or other hardware-based processor. Although not required, the wireless charger 100 may include specialized hardware components to perform certain computing processes.

Although fig. 8 functionally illustrates the processor, memory, and other elements of the wireless charger 100 as being within the same block, the processor, computer, computing device, or memory may in fact comprise multiple processors, computers, computing devices, or memories that may or may not reside within the same physical housing. For example, the memory may be a hard disk drive or other storage medium located in a different housing than the housing of the wireless charger 100. Thus, references to a processor, computer, computing device, or memory are understood to include references to a collection of processors, computers, computing devices, or memory that may or may not operate in parallel. For example, the wireless charger 100 may include a computing device or the like operating in a distributed system. Still further, while some of the functions described below are indicated as occurring on a single computing device having a single processor, various aspects of the subject matter described herein may be implemented by multiple computing devices communicating information, for example, over a network 860.

As further shown, the wireless charger 100 may include a charging system 827. For example, charging system 827 may include the components of fig. 1, such as transmitter antenna array 110, power supply 120, phase shifter 130, amplifier 140, receiver detector 160, and people sensor 170.

To obtain information from and send information to remote devices such as computing devices 820, 830, 840, wireless charger 100 may include a communication module, such as communication module 819. The communication module may enable wireless network connection, wireless peer-to-peer connection, and/orAnd (5) wired connection. Via the communication module, the computing device may establish a communication link, such as a wireless link. For example, the communication module 819 may include one or more antennas, transceivers, and other components for operating at radio frequencies. The communication module 819 may be configured to support communication via cellular, LTE, 4G, wiFi, GPS, and other networking architectures. The communication module 819 may be configured to support bluetoothBluetooth LE, near field communication, and non-networked wireless arrangements. The communication module 819 may support a wired connection, such as a USB, mini-USB, C-USB, or other connector, for example, to receive data and/or power from a laptop, tablet, smart phone, or other device. Using the communication module, the wireless charger 100 may be paired with one or more of the computing devices 820, 830, 840 for transmitting and/or receiving data from each other.

Each of the computing devices 820, 830, 840 may be at a different node of the network 860 and capable of directly and indirectly communicating with other nodes of the network 860. Although only a few computing devices are depicted in fig. 8, it should be appreciated that a typical system may include a large number of connected computing devices, with each different computing device located at a different node of network 860. The network 860 and intermediate nodes described herein may be interconnected using various protocols and systems such that the network may be part of the internet, world wide web, a particular intranet, a wide area network, or a local area network. The network may utilize standard communication protocols such as Ethernet, wiFi and HTTP, protocols proprietary to one or more companies, and various combinations of the foregoing. Although certain advantages are obtained when transmitting or receiving information as described above, other aspects of the subject matter described herein are not limited to any particular manner of transmitting information.

In some cases, the wireless charger 100 may also include additional components. For example, as shown, the wireless charger 100 may include one or more user inputs 811, one or more output devices 813, and one or more sensors 815, which may be configured similarly to the user inputs 823, 833, output devices 823, 833, and sensors 825, 835 described below with respect to computing devices 820 and 830. In other examples, to make the wireless charger 100 lightweight, the wireless charger 100 may not include one or more of user input 811, output device 813, and the like.

Each of the computing devices 820, 830, 840 may be configured with one or more processors 822, 832, 842 and memories 824, 834, 844 storing instructions 826, 836, 846 and data 828, 838, 848 similar to the wireless charger 100, as described above. For example, as shown, computing devices 820 and 830 may each be a client computing device intended for use by a user, and have all of the components typically used in connection with personal computing devices, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory (e.g., RAM and internal hard drive) that stores data and instructions, input and/or output devices, sensors, communication modules, clocks, and so forth. For example, one of computing devices 820 or 830 may be wireless charging device 700.

While computing devices 820, 830 may each comprise a full-size personal computing device, they may alternatively comprise a mobile computing device capable of wirelessly exchanging data with a server over a network such as the internet. For example, computing device 820 may be a laptop computer, or tablet PC or netbook capable of obtaining information via the internet. As another example, computing device 830 may be a mobile phone, some other mobile device, such as a wireless-enabled PDA. In other examples, one or more of computing devices 820 and 830 may be wearable computing devices, such as, for example, a smart watch or a head-mounted device. The one or more computing devices 820 and 830 may also be smart home devices such as smart refrigerators, smart televisions, and the like.

Computing devices 820 and 830 may include one or more user inputs, such as user inputs 821 and 831, respectively. For example, the user input may include mechanical actuators, soft actuators, peripherals, sensors, and/or other components. For example, the mechanical actuator may include a button, a switch, or the like. The soft actuator may comprise a touch pad and/or a touch screen. Peripheral devices may include a keyboard, mouse, etc. The sensors for user input may include microphones for detecting voice commands, visual or optical sensors for detecting gestures, and the like.

Computing devices 820 and 830 may include one or more output devices, such as output devices 823 and 833, respectively. For example, the output device may include a user display, such as a screen or touch screen, for displaying information or graphics to a user. The output device may include one or more speakers, transducers, or other audio output. The output device may include a haptic interface or other haptic feedback that provides non-visual and non-audible information to the user.

Computing devices 820 and 830 may include one or more sensors, such as sensors 825 and 835, respectively. For example, the sensor may include a visual sensor such as a camera, or other type of optical sensor such as an infrared sensor. The sensor may comprise an audio sensor, such as a microphone. The sensor may also include a motion sensor, such as an IMU. According to some examples, the IMU may include an accelerometer, such as a 3-axis accelerometer, and a gyroscope, such as a 3-axis gyroscope. The sensors may further include barometers, vibration sensors, thermal sensors, radio Frequency (RF) sensors, magnetometers, and barometric pressure sensors. Additional or different sensors may also be employed.

To be powered, computing devices 820 and 830 may include one or more charging systems, such as charging systems 827 and 837, respectively. Charging systems 827 and/or 837 may be configured to receive charge without conductive connections, such as wired connections. In this regard, the charging systems 827 and/or 837 may be configured to wirelessly charge in any of a variety of ways, such as by radiation. For example, one or both of computing devices 820 or 830 may be configured similarly to wireless charging device 700. For example, charging systems 827 and/or 837 may include receiver antenna array 710, rectifier 720, energy storage 730, and feedback device 760.

Additionally or alternatively, the charging systems 827 and/or 837 may be configured to charge using conductive connections, such as conductive contacts or wired connections. In the event that charging systems 827 and/or 837 are not configured for wireless charging, wireless charging may be accomplished using accessories. For example, the cover or holder may be configured with a receiver antenna array 710, a rectifier 720, an energy storage 730, and a feedback device 760 similar to wireless charging device 700. The accessory may include one or more conductive elements, such as contacts, wires, or dongles for connecting to the charging system 827 of the computing device 820 or the charging system 837 of the computing device 830.

To obtain information from and send information to remote devices such as wireless charger 100, server computer 840, and each other, computing devices 820 and 830 may each include a communication module, such as communication modules 829 and 839, respectively. The communication modules 829 and/or 839 may be configured similarly to the communication module 819.

Computing devices 820 and 830 may each include additional components. For example, computing devices 820 and 830 may include one or more internal clocks. The internal clock may provide timing information that may be used for time measurement of applications and other programs running on the computing device, as well as basic operation by the computing device, sensors, input/output, GPS, communication systems, etc.

As with memory 814, storage system 850 may be any type of computerized storage, such as hard drives, memory cards, ROM, RAM, DVD, CD-ROM, writeable and read-only memory, capable of storing information that may be accessed by one or more of computing devices 820, 830, 840 and/or wireless charger 100. Additionally, storage system 850 may comprise a distributed storage system, wherein data is stored on a plurality of different storage devices that may be physically located at the same or different geographic locations. The storage system 850 may be connected to the computing device via a network 860 as shown in fig. 8 and/or may be directly connected to any of the computing devices 820, 830, 840 and/or the wireless charger 100.

Example method

In addition to the example systems described above, example methods are now described. Such a method may be performed using any of the above-described systems, modifications thereof, or a variety of systems having different configurations. It should be understood that the operations involved in the following methods need not be performed in the exact order described. Rather, the various operations may be processed in a different order or simultaneously, and operations may be added or omitted.

A wireless charger, such as wireless charger 100 described above, may be used to charge one or more devices, such as wireless charging device 700 described above. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of wireless charging using the wireless charger 100. The wireless charger 100 is shown in the environment 900. For example, the environment may be a room in an office or home. As shown, the wireless charger 100 may be positioned in a drawer 920 of the desk 910. Alternatively, the wireless charger 100 may be positioned on the surface of the table 910 and on or within other furniture, walls, floors in the smart home device, incorporated into the smart home device, etc.

To avoid wasting energy, the wireless charger 100 may first detect whether the wireless charging device is in the environment 900 before controlling the transmit power of the transmitter antenna array 110. For example, the processor 150 of the wireless charger 100 may receive a signal from the receiver detector 160, which may include the location of a receiver antenna, such as the location of the receiver antenna array 710 of the wireless charging device 700. Based on these signals, the processor 150 of the wireless charger 100 may determine that the wireless charging device 700, the computing device 820, and the computing device 830 are in the environment 900 and are equipped with a receiver antenna for wirelessly receiving power. As another example, receiver detector 160 may not have detected any receiver antennas in device 930.

Also in this regard, because the wireless charger 100 as described above is configured to focus electromagnetic waves within the radiating near field to ensure efficient power transfer, the wireless charger 100 may further determine whether a device detected in the environment 900 is within the radiating near field of the transmitter antenna array 110. For example, based on signals received from the receiver detector 160, the processor 150 of the wireless charger 100 may determine that the computing device 830 is located outside the radiated near field of the transmitter antenna array 110 while the wireless charging device 700 and the computing device 820 are located within the radiated near field of the transmitter antenna array 110.

The wireless charger 100 may focus electromagnetic waves on one of the wireless charging devices detected within the radiating near field of the wireless charger 100. For example, the processor 150 of the wireless charger 100 may control the plurality of radiating elements 210 of the transmitter antenna array 110 to focus electromagnetic waves. For example, as shown, the wireless charger 100 may focus electromagnetic waves on the wireless charging device 700. In this regard, the processor 150 may control the phase shifter 130 and/or the amplifier 140 to change the direction and amplitude of the electromagnetic wave, as described with respect to fig. 4.

Once focused on the receiver antenna, the wireless charger 100 may control the transmitter antenna array to transmit power to the receiver antenna. For example, the processor 150 of the wireless charger 100 may control the power supply 120 to transmit RF waves to be transmitted by the transmitter antenna array 110.

During charging, the wireless charger 100 may be configured to refocus the electromagnetic waves based on the feedback data. As described above with respect to fig. 1 and 7, processor 150 may receive feedback data regarding power delivery, such as measurements regarding charge rate or power recovery efficiency, from feedback device 760 of wireless charging device 700. For example, if the charge rate and/or power recovery efficiency drops to a predetermined threshold, the processor 150 may control the transmitter antenna array 110, the phase shifter 130, and/or the amplifier 140 to refocus the electromagnetic waves. Also at this point, the processor 150 may receive a signal from the receiver detector 160 and determine whether the location of the wireless charging device 700 has changed and refocus the electromagnetic waves based on any changes in location.

The wireless charger 100 may detect one or more persons in the environment prior to or during charging. Fig. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example scenario of wireless charging when a person is detected in the vicinity of the charger 100. Fig. 10A and 10B illustrate an environment 1000, having many items similar to the environment 900 shown in fig. 9, and labeled as such. For example, as in environment 900, environment 1000 includes a wireless charger 100 positioned in a drawer 920 of a desk 910. In addition, wireless charging device 700, computing devices 820 and 830, and device 930 are also shown in environment 1000.

Referring to fig. 10A, the environment 1000 further includes a person 1010 that may be detected by the wireless charger 100. For example, as shown, a person 1010 may have walked into the environment 1010 and picked up the wireless charging device 700. For example, the person sensor 170 of the wireless charger 100 may generate signals in the environment 1000 regarding light, sound, heat, movement, etc. As another example, person sensor 170 may detect interference with signals transmitted from beacons 1020 in environment 1000. In this way, the processor 150 of the wireless charger 100 may receive the signal and determine that a person is in the environment 1000 based on the signal. In this regard, the processor 150 may use image analysis, object or pattern recognition, and/or any other suitable analysis tool to determine whether the signal indicates that a person is in the environment 1000. For example, as shown, the processor 150 of the wireless charger 100 may determine that the person 1010 is in the environment 1000.

Once a person is detected in the environment of the wireless charger 100, the wireless charger 100 may stop charging, as indicated by the fork. For example, once the processor 150 determines that the person 1010 is in the environment 1000, the processor 150 may control the power supply 120 to cease supplying power to the transmitter antenna array 110, thereby ceasing charging. In this way, the wireless charger 100 may avoid transmitting radiation to humans.

Alternatively, the wireless charger 100 may simply stop charging if a person is detected within the radiating near field of the wireless charger 100. For example, as described above with respect to fig. 5, the amplitude of the power transfer drops rapidly outside the radiated near field of the transmitter antenna array 110 focused by the near field. Thus, when the person 1010 is outside the radiating near field of the transmitter antenna array 110, it may not be necessary to stop charging.

As another alternative, if a person is detected in the direction of the electromagnetic wave emitted from the wireless charger 100, the wireless charger 100 may stop charging. For example, the processor 150 may further determine the location of the detected person based on the signal received from the person sensor 170 and compare with the direction of the electromagnetic wave being emitted. For example, as shown, the processor 150 may determine that the electromagnetic wave is focused in a direction toward the wireless charging device 700 that is the same as the direction of the person 1010. Accordingly, the processor 150 may determine to stop charging the wireless charging device 700.

Referring to fig. 10B, additionally or alternatively, if a person is detected, the wireless charger 100 may charge another device. The wireless charger 100 may start charging a different device after stopping charging the wireless charging device 700, or may redirect electromagnetic waves to a different device without stopping charging. For example, the processor 150 of the wireless charger 100 may determine that the computing device 820 is located within the radiating near field of the transmitter antenna array 110, but not in the same direction as the detected person 1010, based on signals from the receiver detector 160. Accordingly, the processor 150 of the wireless charger 100 may control the transmitter antenna array 110 to focus electromagnetic waves on the computing device 820.

As yet another example, the wireless charger 100 may be configured to detect people and/or devices at different rates based on the environment 1000. In this regard, the wireless charger 100 may allow a user to select a person detection rate, or to select settings such as "office," "living room," "bedroom," and the like. For example, if the environment is a bedroom, the receiver detector 160 and/or the person sensor 170 may be set to a lower detection rate because charging may occur at night when a person is sleeping and thus the person and devices in the room are likely to remain at a relatively fixed orientation relative to the wireless charger 100. Conversely, if the environment is an office or living room, the receiver detector 160 and/or person sensor 170 may be set to a higher detection rate because different people may walk around in such an environment during the day, and may also move the device in the environment.

In another aspect, the wireless charger 100 may be configured to determine a time-division scheme to transmit power to a plurality of wirelessly charged devices. Fig. 11A and 11B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example scenario of wireless charging using a time division scheme. Fig. 11A and 11B illustrate an environment 1100 having items similar to the environment 900 shown in fig. 9 and labeled as such. For example, as in environment 900, environment 1100 includes wireless charger 100 positioned in drawer 920 of desk 910. In addition, wireless charging device 700, computing devices 820 and 830, and device 930 are also shown in environment 1100.

For example, as described above, wireless charger 100 has detected wireless charging device 700 and computing device 820 capable of wireless charging and located within the radiating near field of transmitter antenna array 110. The wireless charger 100 may determine any of a number of time-division schemes for charging both the wireless charging device 700 and the computing device 820. For example, as shown in fig. 11A, the time division scheme may be to charge the wireless charging device 700 for a period T1 until it is fully charged, then switch to the computing device 820 as shown in fig. 11B, and charge the computing device 820 for a period T2 until the computing device 820 is also fully charged. As another example, the time division scheme may be to charge each device for a fixed period of time and switch between charging the two devices until both are fully charged. For example, wireless charger 100 may alternate between charging wireless charging device 700 for a fixed period of time as shown in fig. 11A and charging computing device 820 for a fixed period of time as shown in fig. 11B until both are fully charged. In this example, T1 and T2 may be the same, such as 10 minutes each. With this time division scheme, multiple devices can be wirelessly charged in environment 900 without the need for additional wires, coils, cables, etc.

Also in this regard, the wireless charger 100 may be configured to determine a time division scheme based on the environment 1100. For example, if the environment is a bedroom, the time-division scheme may be to charge each device until fully charged, as charging may occur at night when devices in the room may remain in a relatively fixed position relative to the wireless charger 100. Conversely, if the environment is an office or living room, a time division scheme may be that each device may be charged at shorter intervals, as devices in such an environment may frequently move around during the day, and it may be beneficial to ensure that none of the devices are completely depleted of power. Additionally or alternatively to a time division scheme, the transmitter antenna array 110 may generate multiple beams of electromagnetic waves to charge multiple devices simultaneously.

Fig. 12 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 1200 for wirelessly charging a device. For example, the operations shown in the flowcharts may be performed by the example systems described herein, such as by one or more processors 150 of the wireless charger 100. Although fig. 12 illustrates operations for the example method, other methods may include additional and/or alternative operations, including the operations described above with respect to fig. 9, 10A, 10B, 11A, 11B, and the example systems of fig. 1-8. Although the operations are illustrated and described in a particular order, it should be understood that the order may be modified and operations may be added or omitted.

Referring to fig. 12, in block 1210, it is determined that one or more receiver antennas are located within a near field range of a transmitter antenna array based on signals from one or more detectors. In block 1220, the plurality of radiating elements are controlled to focus electromagnetic waves on a first receiver antenna of the one or more receiver antennas. In block 1230, a transmitter antenna array is controlled to transmit power to a first receiver antenna. In block 1240, a person is determined to be within the near field range of the transmitter antenna array based on signals from the one or more sensors. In block 1250, the transmitter antenna array is controlled to cease transmitting power to the first receiver antenna.

This technique is advantageous because it provides efficient wireless charging. The techniques described herein allow for high levels of power to be transferred in the near field region and at the same time allow for rapid decay of power to low levels in the far field region. This enables efficient power transfer to devices in the near field region and reduces interference with devices in the far field region. By automatically focusing the electromagnetic waves on the detected device, the user does not need to manually insert the device to be charged or align the coil in the device with the coil in the charger. By adjusting the operating frequency and other parameters of the wireless charger, the wireless charger can be designed to fit conveniently in a everyday environment, such as on furniture or inside a home, and in actual situations charge the device within a common distance, such as within one meter or in a room in a home or office. By using operating frequencies outside the wireless communication range, the wireless charger may be able to increase the power transfer level without causing interference to other devices. Aspects of the technology also provide a detection mechanism to avoid transmitting radiation to people in the vicinity of the wireless charger. The technique also provides time division for charging multiple devices without the need for additional accessories such as wires, coils, and the like.

The foregoing alternative examples are not mutually exclusive, unless otherwise specified, but rather may be implemented in various combinations to achieve unique advantages. As these and other variations and combinations of the features discussed above may be utilized without departing from the subject matter defined by the claims, the foregoing description of the embodiments should be taken by way of illustration rather than by way of limitation of the subject matter defined by the claims. Also, the provision of examples described herein and expressions such as "," including ", etc. should not be construed as limiting the subject matter of the claims to a particular example; rather, the example is intended to be illustrative of only one of many possible embodiments. Furthermore, the same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

Claims

1. A wireless charger, comprising:

a transmitter antenna array comprising a plurality of radiating elements;

one or more detectors configured to collect signals from the receiver antennas;

one or more sensors configured to generate a signal indicative of the presence of a person;

One or more processors configured to:

determining that the one or more receiver antennas are located within a near field range of the transmitter antenna array based on the signals from the one or more detectors, wherein

The transmitter antenna array transmits electromagnetic waves in an electromagnetic field divided into a near field region within the near field range and a far field region of greater distance;

controlling the plurality of radiating elements to focus electromagnetic waves on a first receiver antenna of the one or more receiver antennas in the near field range;

controlling the transmitter antenna array to transmit power to the first receiver antenna;

determining that the person is within the near field range of the transmitter antenna array based on the signals from the one or more sensors; and

the transmitter antenna array is controlled to cease transmitting power to the first receiver antenna.

2. The wireless charger of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determining whether the person is in a direction of the power transmission based on the signals from the one or more detectors and the signals from the one or more sensors, wherein controlling the transmitter antenna array to cease transmitting power to the first receiver antenna is further based on determining that the person is in the direction of the power transmission.

3. The wireless charger of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determining that the person is not located in a direction of a second receiver antenna of the one or more receiver antennas based on the signals from the one or more detectors and the signals from the one or more sensors;

controlling the plurality of radiating elements to focus electromagnetic waves on the second receiver antenna; and

the transmitter antenna array is controlled to transmit power to the second receiver antenna.

4. The wireless charger of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one of: optical sensors, cameras, motion sensors, radar and RF sensors.

5. The wireless charger of claim 1, wherein an operating frequency of the transmitter antenna array is outside of a frequency range for wireless communication.

6. The wireless charger of claim 1, wherein the operating frequency of the transmitter antenna array is 24GHz.

7. The wireless charger of claim 1, wherein the transmitter antenna array has a size in the range of 10cm-20 cm.

8. The wireless charger of claim 1, wherein a spacing between the plurality of radiating elements is in the range of 0.5cm-1 cm.

9. The wireless charger of claim 1, wherein the plurality of radiating elements are disposed on a two-dimensional surface.

10. The wireless charger of claim 1, wherein the plurality of radiating elements are disposed on one or more surfaces of a three-dimensional structure.

11. The wireless charger of claim 1, wherein the boundary of the near field range is between 0.5-2 meters.

12. The wireless charger of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more phase shifters configured to change a phase of electromagnetic waves from the plurality of radiating elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the one or more phase shifters to focus the electromagnetic waves on the first receiver antenna.

13. The wireless charger of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more amplifiers configured to vary the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave from the plurality of radiating elements, wherein the one or more processors are configured to control the one or more amplifiers to focus the electromagnetic wave on the first receiver antenna.

14. The wireless charger of claim 1, wherein the one or more detectors are further configured to:

the method further includes receiving, over a bluetooth link, a measurement of power received by the first receiver antenna, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the plurality of radiating elements to focus the electromagnetic wave on the first receiver antenna based on the measurement of received power.

15. The wireless charger of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determining that the one or more receiver antennas comprise a plurality of receiver antennas based on the signals from the one or more detectors;

a time division is determined to focus the electromagnetic wave and transmit power to each of the plurality of receiver antennas.

16. An antenna system, comprising:

a transmitter antenna array comprising a plurality of radiating elements, the transmitter antenna array having an operating frequency that is higher than a frequency range for wireless communication, wherein the transmitter antenna array emits electromagnetic waves in an electromagnetic field that is divided into a near field region within the near field range and a far field region of greater distance;

One or more receiver antenna arrays, each of the receiver antenna arrays comprising a plurality of radiating elements, the one or more receiver antenna arrays being located within the near field range of the transmitter antenna array; and

the transmitter antenna array is configured to cease transmitting power to the one or more receiver antenna arrays in response to a person being within the near field range of the transmitter antenna array.

17. The antenna system of claim 16, further comprising:

one or more rectifiers configured to convert RF received by the one or more receiver antenna arrays into electrical energy; and

one or more energy storage units configured to store the electrical energy.

18. The antenna system of claim 16, further comprising:

one or more feedback devices configured to:

generating a measurement of power received by the one or more receiver antenna arrays;

the measurements are sent over a bluetooth link to one or more processors associated with the transmitter antenna array.

19. The antenna system of claim 16, wherein a boundary of a near field range of the transmitter antenna array is at 0.5-2 meters.

20. An antenna array, comprising:

a plurality of the antenna radiating elements of the antenna,

wherein the plurality of antenna radiating elements emit electromagnetic waves in an electromagnetic field divided into a near field region in a near field range and a far field region of greater distance,

wherein the antenna array operates at a frequency higher than the frequency range used for wireless communication,

wherein the near field range of the antenna array is between 0.5 and 2 meters, and

wherein the plurality of antenna radiating elements are configured to cease transmitting power in response to someone being within the near field range of the antenna array.